Writer-director Stephen King falls short in his debut at the helm with Maximum Overdrive, an absurd tale about a radiation storm that somehow animates machines across the world, causing them to turn on their makers. The film focuses on a group of survivors held captive at the Dixie Boy Diner by a group of bad-tempered semis. Led by Emilio Estevez, the diner-goers do their impression of Ten Little Indians, waiting their turn until each gets bumped off one by one. There are holes in the plot big enough for the semis to drive ...
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Writer-director Stephen King falls short in his debut at the helm with Maximum Overdrive, an absurd tale about a radiation storm that somehow animates machines across the world, causing them to turn on their makers. The film focuses on a group of survivors held captive at the Dixie Boy Diner by a group of bad-tempered semis. Led by Emilio Estevez, the diner-goers do their impression of Ten Little Indians, waiting their turn until each gets bumped off one by one. There are holes in the plot big enough for the semis to drive through; for example, why don't the trucks run over the diner at the start of the film rather than wait for 90 minutes? Jeremy Beday, Rovi
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Add this copy of Maximum Overdrive [Dvd] to cart. $8.80, good condition, Sold by Good Books Will Follow rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Blue Springs, MO, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by De Laurentiis Entertainment Gorup.
Add this copy of Maximum Overdrive to cart. $9.49, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Movies rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Trinity Home Entertainment.
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Patrick Miller, Barry Bell, Holter Graham, John Short, J.C. Quinn, Yeardley Smith, Christopher Murney, Laura Harrington, Pat... Very good. 1986 Run time: 98. Providing great media since 1972. All used discs are inspected and guaranteed. Digital copy/codes may be expired or not included. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Maximum Overdrive to cart. $14.83, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Movies rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by Starz / Anchor Bay.
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Holter Graham, Robert Gooden, J. Don Ferguson, Frankie Faison, Barry Bell, Giancarlo Esposito, Jack Canon, R. Pickett Bugg,... Very good. 1986 Run time: 97. Providing great media since 1972. All used discs are inspected and guaranteed. Digital copy/codes may be expired or not included. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Maximum Overdrive to cart. $14.83, good condition, Sold by Goodwill Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hillsboro, OR, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by De Laurentiis Entertainment Gorup.
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Good. May have very light or no surface scratches. Case and cover artwork are included but may show minimal signs of wear. If applicable: Digital copy or ultraviolet codes may be expired or not included. Slipcover may not be included.
Add this copy of Maximum Overdrive to cart. $16.00, very good condition, Sold by Gardner's Used Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Tulsa, OK, UNITED STATES, published 2004 by 20th Century Fox.
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J.C. Quinn, Pat Hingle, Laura Harrington, Yeardley Smith, John Short, Ellen McElduff, Christopher Murney, Holter Graham,... Very good. 1986 Run time: 98. 1 Disc is in great condition with minimal signs of use. Minimal wear on case. Tulsa's best used bookstore. Located on South Mingo Road since 1991. No-hassle return policy if not completely satisfied.
Add this copy of Maximum Overdrive [Blu-Ray] to cart. $19.99, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Movies rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2018 by Artisan / Lionsgate.
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Frankie Faison, Holter Graham, Christopher Murney, J.C. Quinn, Ellen McElduff, John Short, Yeardley Smith, Laura Harrington,... Very good. 2018 Run time: 98. Providing great media since 1972. All used discs are inspected and guaranteed. Digital copy/codes may be expired or not included. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Maximum Overdrive [Blu-ray] to cart. $33.51, new condition, Sold by Importcds rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Sunrise, FL, UNITED STATES, published 2018 by De Laurentiis Entertainment Gorup.
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Emilio Estevez; Pat Hingle; Laura Harrington; Yeardley Smith; John Short. New. Run time: 97 mins. Language: English. New in new packaging. USA Orders only! Brand New product! please allow delivery times of 3-7 business days within the USA. US orders only please.
Add this copy of Maximum Overdrive [Dvd] to cart. $46.08, good condition, Sold by Goodwill Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hillsboro, OR, UNITED STATES, published 2004 by De Laurentiis Entertainment Gorup.
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Good. May have very light or no surface scratches. Case and cover artwork are included but may show minimal signs of wear. If applicable: Digital copy or ultraviolet codes may be expired or not included. Slipcover may not be included.
Add this copy of Maximum Overdrive to cart. $54.34, new condition, Sold by Entertainment by Post - UK rated 1.0 out of 5 stars, ships from BRISTOL, SOUTH GLOS, UNITED KINGDOM, published 1986 by De Laurentiis Entertainment Gorup.
Add this copy of Maximum Overdrive [Dvd] to cart. $96.30, good condition, Sold by Goodwill of Greater Milwaukee rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Milwaukee, WI, UNITED STATES.
Maximum Overdrive is Stephen King's first - and thankfully final - foray into directing. Certainly, nothing he tried to do made the movie any good. He himself even admitted it was a disaster. But this movie is, admittedly, hilariously campy, and full of fantastically stilted dialogue and acting, and a premise perhaps unmatched in made-for-TV style. To be brief, machines (with a focus on trucks) have suddenly become sentient with a genocidal streak. A team of likables and unlikables have assembled into a diner to try and survive.
Sometimes it's hard to see if Stephen King is shooting for a film that goes beyond the superficial camp so obviously there. At some points, a theme (does man really have control over machine?) tries weakly to break through and add some depth, only to be shoved aside as the next victim gets rammed by a semi-trailer and blood splatters everywhere. And this, of course, is why I can't give this film more than three stars. Camp is good for a laugh, and MST3K made a good show out of it, but it isn't filling. After about 45 minutes, I grew tired of the movie, and I realized how hollow it really was. The only reason I didn't shut it off was because I was in company.
Your enjoyment of the movie will have nothing to do with the quality of the movie but for how long you can stomach it. If you like superficial, campy laughs, by all means - it's hilarious. Otherwise stay away.